. >> reporter: but experts say two actions in which human failure was partly to blame. air france 447 crashed into the atlantic in 2009, killing 228. that same year, regional airline, flight 3407, crashed in buffalo, killing 50. >> cogan air was a watershed event in aviation safety, in particular bringing the regional carriers up to standards with the major carriers. >> reporter: the safety culture is spreading, accident rates are dropping, in russia, africa, latin america. experts say there is a real danger here. just when you start to think it can't happen again is very often when you're most vulnerable. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> when we continue on this new year's eve, two men who have learned some hard lessons, now passing them on and making a difference. the boys use capital one venture miles for their annual football trip. that's double miles you can actually use. tragically, their buddy got sacked by blackouts. but it's our tradition! that's roughing the card holder. but with the capital one venture card you get double miles you can actually use. [ c